A/N: *hangs head in shame* I know, haven't updated for over a month. You see, this is like a turning point in the story that needs to be written just right. It's not anywhere near the ending, but this chapter will ultimately change the ending depending on how it is written. I originally had things planned out, but as I read over my work and analyze everything, I find that the ending I had in mind doesn't work as well as I thought it would. So, I've been planning, mulling things over in my head, and now I think I've got it all straightened out well enough that I can continue working on the fic. Thanks to every one of you who supported me, even during my inexcusably long hiatus. I appreciate every review, and I promise to finish this story, if it is the last one I write…which it won't be but still ^_^
Quistis had sipped back into a nap only maybe half an hour after awakening earlier, Seifer opting to stay with her. A soft creak. Seifer looked over his shoulder, toward the door, to see a blonde haired man standing in the doorframe. Seifer and the man exchanged open-mouthed looks of shock.
"Zell?! What are you doing here?!" Seifer said, standing abruptly. Zell strode over to the foot of the bed.
"What are YOU doing here?!" he retorted, his face flushed red with anger at the sight of the former knight. Before letting Seifer answer, he grabbed Quistis' ankle and shook her leg gently. "Quistis, c'mon wake up."
"What are you doing Dincht?! Leave her alone!" Seifer said harshly, forcing himself not to yell in the facility.
The room grew larger and clearer to Quistis as her eyelids slowly parted and focus came with her sight. She blinked once.
"Do you even know who this IS?!" Zell said to Seifer in the same harsh tone. He glanced at Quistis, but it took a second look to see she was now awake. "Look, you woke her up you asshole."
Seifer's eyebrows met at Zell's insult, but parted when he looked down at Quistis and realized that the guy was right, she was awake.
Quistis' drowsiness vanished the second she recognized Zell. She sat up immediately. "Zell what are you doing here?!"
"You know him?!" Seifer cut in before Zell could answer.
"Of course she knows me." Zell said snidely. He turned to Quistis. "How are you feeling?"
Quistis sighed. Already, she could feel a headache starting at her temples. But it would spread, oh how it would spread…and now the truth. It would come from her or Zell, better it was her. "Seifer." She took in a breath. How hard could one sentence be? She was almost afraid of his reaction. "I haven't been completely truthful with you. I had right not to be, mind you--"
"What do you mean 'haven't been completely truthful'?!" he said shortly.
She flashed him a look of annoyance. "Let me finish my sentence." She paused slightly to take a look at Zell. Confusion was written all over his face, but he seemed to be tying loose ends with every passing second so that she might not have to for him. Good. She continued. "I'm not Maylee Rinthe…there is no Maylee Rinthe."
She locked eyes with Seifer, trying to read the emotions swimming within. It was like deciphering ancient writings, but she could make out confusion. Confusion and definite anger, maybe even fury. Her eyes grew hot with tears as she felt her throat grow tight.
Maybe Zell had grown impatient with the awkward silence of the room, or maybe he just wanted to get things out and in the open as quickly as possible. Or maybe he was taking the chance to say words he had a feeling would hurt Seifer. Quistis would never know why he spoke, but he did. "Imagine your former Instructor with a head of red hair."
The uncertainty of whether or not Seifer was angry was now gone completely. He balled his fists. It looked like he was at a loss for words. He was too angry to speak. Too angry to think. Everything was still sinking in, and what had, made him feel so betrayed that he wanted no more to sink in. But it all did, with each long second of what seemed like an hour of standing there in front of this woman who was no longer beautiful. No longer perfect. Like a beautiful mirror that has been dropped to the ground and shattered into a million pieces, and even if it is ever repaired, you can never look into it and see the same thing you saw before it fell to it's ruining.
"I was on a mission, I couldn't tell anyone who I was." Quistis managed in a weak voice. Weak? Yes. Apologetic? No.
He shook his head once, twice, and turned, headed for the door. The tip of his trench coat barely made it into the hallway before the sky blue wooden door slammed behind him. The loud bang echoed in Quistis' ears like the deafening sound, serving her the final verdict. The taste of his lips that afternoon came to her first. The look in his eyes when he laughed about her blonde roots. The feel of his touch when he held her hand and told her he wanted to be here for her. He had left it all behind, in the room, so it could torture her soul and plague her thoughts and haunt her dreams.
For once, had she taken a mission too far? This time she hadn't meddled in politics or cheated in battle, she had toyed with the heart of a live person. But then the other side of her argued, was any of it really her fault? She never asked Seifer to see her in the…well however he'd seen her, she never asked him to. She didn't flirt, she didn't make it a point to socialize with him, and it's not like she had control over his feelings. All she did was withhold information, which was one thing her mission required of her.
Still, for some reason she had the awful feeling of guilt gnawing at her insides, like she had betrayed him, somehow. None of it made sense and all she really wanted to do was crawl into a dark corner and die.
"Quistis." She looked up at Zell. The look on his face…she suddenly realized she was crying. She brought a trembling hand up to her cheek to brush away a stream of wetness. How much time had passed since he slammed that door? Couldn't have been more than a few seconds. The bed sheets pulled slightly as Zell sat down on the corner of the bed. "What's happened?"
Quistis had sipped back into a nap only maybe half an hour after awakening earlier, Seifer opting to stay with her. A soft creak. Seifer looked over his shoulder, toward the door, to see a blonde haired man standing in the doorframe. Seifer and the man exchanged open-mouthed looks of shock.
"Zell?! What are you doing here?!" Seifer said, standing abruptly. Zell strode over to the foot of the bed.
"What are YOU doing here?!" he retorted, his face flushed red with anger at the sight of the former knight. Before letting Seifer answer, he grabbed Quistis' ankle and shook her leg gently. "Quistis, c'mon wake up."
"What are you doing Dincht?! Leave her alone!" Seifer said harshly, forcing himself not to yell in the facility.
The room grew larger and clearer to Quistis as her eyelids slowly parted and focus came with her sight. She blinked once.
"Do you even know who this IS?!" Zell said to Seifer in the same harsh tone. He glanced at Quistis, but it took a second look to see she was now awake. "Look, you woke her up you asshole."
Seifer's eyebrows met at Zell's insult, but parted when he looked down at Quistis and realized that the guy was right, she was awake.
Quistis' drowsiness vanished the second she recognized Zell. She sat up immediately. "Zell what are you doing here?!"
"You know him?!" Seifer cut in before Zell could answer.
"Of course she knows me." Zell said snidely. He turned to Quistis. "How are you feeling?"
Quistis sighed. Already, she could feel a headache starting at her temples. But it would spread, oh how it would spread…and now the truth. It would come from her or Zell, better it was her. "Seifer." She took in a breath. How hard could one sentence be? She was almost afraid of his reaction. "I haven't been completely truthful with you. I had right not to be, mind you--"
"What do you mean 'haven't been completely truthful'?!" he said shortly.
She flashed him a look of annoyance. "Let me finish my sentence." She paused slightly to take a look at Zell. Confusion was written all over his face, but he seemed to be tying loose ends with every passing second so that she might not have to for him. Good. She continued. "I'm not Maylee Rinthe…there is no Maylee Rinthe."
She locked eyes with Seifer, trying to read the emotions swimming within. It was like deciphering ancient writings, but she could make out confusion. Confusion and definite anger, maybe even fury. Her eyes grew hot with tears as she felt her throat grow tight.
Maybe Zell had grown impatient with the awkward silence of the room, or maybe he just wanted to get things out and in the open as quickly as possible. Or maybe he was taking the chance to say words he had a feeling would hurt Seifer. Quistis would never know why he spoke, but he did. "Imagine your former Instructor with a head of red hair."
The uncertainty of whether or not Seifer was angry was now gone completely. He balled his fists. It looked like he was at a loss for words. He was too angry to speak. Too angry to think. Everything was still sinking in, and what had, made him feel so betrayed that he wanted no more to sink in. But it all did, with each long second of what seemed like an hour of standing there in front of this woman who was no longer beautiful. No longer perfect. Like a beautiful mirror that has been dropped to the ground and shattered into a million pieces, and even if it is ever repaired, you can never look into it and see the same thing you saw before it fell to it's ruining.
"I was on a mission, I couldn't tell anyone who I was." Quistis managed in a weak voice. Weak? Yes. Apologetic? No.
He shook his head once, twice, and turned, headed for the door. The tip of his trench coat barely made it into the hallway before the sky blue wooden door slammed behind him. The loud bang echoed in Quistis' ears like the deafening sound, serving her the final verdict. The taste of his lips that afternoon came to her first. The look in his eyes when he laughed about her blonde roots. The feel of his touch when he held her hand and told her he wanted to be here for her. He had left it all behind, in the room, so it could torture her soul and plague her thoughts and haunt her dreams.
For once, had she taken a mission too far? This time she hadn't meddled in politics or cheated in battle, she had toyed with the heart of a live person. But then the other side of her argued, was any of it really her fault? She never asked Seifer to see her in the…well however he'd seen her, she never asked him to. She didn't flirt, she didn't make it a point to socialize with him, and it's not like she had control over his feelings. All she did was withhold information, which was one thing her mission required of her.
Still, for some reason she had the awful feeling of guilt gnawing at her insides, like she had betrayed him, somehow. None of it made sense and all she really wanted to do was crawl into a dark corner and die.
"Quistis." She looked up at Zell. The look on his face…she suddenly realized she was crying. She brought a trembling hand up to her cheek to brush away a stream of wetness. How much time had passed since he slammed that door? Couldn't have been more than a few seconds. The bed sheets pulled slightly as Zell sat down on the corner of the bed. "What's happened?"